Sectional door



Sept. 24; 1935. LE ROY H; KIESLING SECTIONAL DOOR Filed Jan. 24, 1935 Patented Sept. 24, 1935 I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE $53233... 3 :3 11: 7:25;: 22:: inf 3 204 6 Claims.

This invention relates to. sectional'doors, and more particularly to the construction of doors composed of horizontal sections articulated to each other and adapted to slide or travel upwardly and inwardly to an overhead position when the door is opened, the reverse movement closing the door downwardly to the floor and against the door jamb.

The general object of the present invention is to improve the construction and operation of sectional doors of the kind referred to. A particular object is to afiord a sectional door construction which is inexpensively constructed and assembled, and yet is rugged and durable, and efficient and convenient in operation. Further objects and advantages will be explained in the hereinafter following description of an illustrative embodimentof the invention or will be understood to those conversant; with the subject.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a vertical section of a doorway and sectional door embodying the present invention, the door in this flgure being shown down and closed against the lamb.

Fig. 2 is similar to a portion of Fig. 1 but shows the door shifted upwardly and inwardly to partially open position.

Fig-7 is a right elevation and section on the I line 1-1 of Fig.3.

Fig. 8 is a section taken on the line 8 8 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a right elevation of a. preferred form of traveling circular head or disk and surrounding tire by which the door sections are guided in their shifting movements. I The door jamb 9 is shown in Figs. 1 and. 3.

Attached to its corner against which the door closes-is preferably an angle iron Ill, taking the wear, and from which outstands rigidly a threaded post 20 for a purpose later to be described.

The door when closed comes down to a concrete or other floor I l Above the doorway is indicated a conventional lintel l2, while at the interior are shown overhead or ceiling beams l3.

; Inwards of each door 'jamblis atrack ll,

v angularly slightly from spaced somewhat frgn the jamb and inclined upwardly away from the jamb to a slight angle, for example as indicated. The incline oi the track is relative to the lamb, the two diverging the floor to the top of 5' the doorway. By this arrangement the door separates from the jamb when sliding up from closed position, and vice versa. Beyond the rising stretch it of the track is a curved connecting stretch l5,- and therebeyond a substantially hori- 10 I zontal inwardly extending stretch i6 which may be hung from the ceiling beams H. The entire 'door may be in engagement with track stretches I5 and I6 when open.

An advantageous track construction is seen in 15- Y Figs. 1, 2, and 3 wherein the body of the track has at one side a flat outstanding flange l1 and at the other side a concave flange l8, this arrangement facilitating the assemblage and erec tion of the tracks and door, while properly con- 2 fining the sliding or.rolling elements between the track flanges.

In setting up the structure it is necessary to adjust accurately the position of each track poition I4 in relationto the door jainb. The track is shown mounted on a supporting angle iron I! which may run longitudinally of the-track, and may be duplicated at its overhead stretch. The outwardly extending. flange of the angle iron I! may be formedwith perforations or elongated vertical slots to receive a number of threaded posts or bolts. located at convenient points along the length of the track, each of these bolts standing out rigidly from the jamb angle iron ll. several inches from the jamb edge. A pair of nuts ii is shown positioning and locking the angle iron I! upon the bolt 20., By loosening one nut and tightening the other the'a'ngle iron may be shifted inwardly or outwardlig until the door is in correct relation to its'jamb, namely, preferably in snug contact against the lamb when the door is lowered to its closed position shown in Fig. .1.

' Loosening the nuts 2| permits tilting of the angle and track to assist entering the sliding element therein. I Coming now to the door, this is shown as composed of a number 01' horizontally extending sections articulated or hinged to each other, rendering flexible the door. In the illustrated instance i'ourdoor-sections are shown, the first section 22 being at the bottom, with intermediate sections 23 and 24, and a top section 25. The mode of hinging may be as described later or otherwise, either combined with the hanger devices or independent.

door section 22, 22, and 22 is shown provided with a hanger' bearing 22 which may be of different construction from the bearing 21, as the former may afford the hinging of adjacent sections: All

of these bearing members 21 and 22 however are shown formed with square openings each to receive a square sleeve 22, the square passage in which in turn contains a horizontal square'axle 22' adapted to slide through the sleeve. By

- square is intended to include any polygonal or other non-round form that cannot rotate.

The several hanger bearings 21 and 22 are concted similarly in that their dimensions are such as to support each of the hanger'axles 22 at-the same distance from the inner face or plane of the door, as is clear in Figs. .1 and 2. The several axles .have their axes-in a common plane parallel to the closed door. By reason of the square hole inthe hanger bearings 21 and 22,

' and the square sleeves therein, the square axles tary half 22, attached, in each case, to the adia- 22 are held'against rotation relatively to the door.

sections. These axles of course for this purpose need be squared or shapedonly at the places where they engage the sleeves. The extreme ends of each axle project beyond the sides of the door to the traveling elements to be described J At this point will be described a convenient means of h'inging or articulating the door sections to each other. While independent hinges might be employed, and the hanger bearings 22 offset therefrom, preferably each such bearing is used as half. of a'hinge, and the axle 22 as-the hinge pivot. The hingeis completed by a complemencent or upper end of the contiguous or underneath door section.- As best shown in Figs. 3, .4,-

and the hinge. part 22 is bifurcated and straddies the hinge part 22'; obviously however; these shapes could be reversed. To facilitate rotation of each hinge part 22 on the square axle 22, the ears 22 of said-hinge part are shown as each containing a circular lining or sleeve 22, see Figs. 5 and'l. Ifshapes22 and22bereversedaslngle round sleeve 22 in member 22 will suflice, confined axially between the spaced ears of mem- I her 22 and surrounding the elongated square sleeve 22. I

These sleeves and adjacent parts being composed of hard metal, the circular sleeves may turn on the square sleeve within, or the ears 22 may turn on the circular sleeves, without undue friction or wear. For a door of four sections only three hingingsare needed, so the bottom and top hanger bearings 21 need not be identical with the bearings 22.

The projecting ends of each horizontal axle 20, beyond the sides of the door, are arranged to carry the sliding or rolling elements engaging in the tracks ll. The following arrangement is shown wherebythe positions of the successive sliding elements conform with the inclined setting of the track it. At each end of each axle is a head or sliding disk 25, fixed on the axle against rotation, for example by reason of the square form thereof.

. 2,015,478 The described door is provided with a series of For purposes of distinction the five sliders or disks 22 are marked 22' to 22' respectively on Figs. 1, 2, 3, 6, and '7. Each disk may be machined, or may be built up as in Fig. 8 of 'two stamped metal pieces, welded or riveted together,

' and presenting preferably a concave or cupped rim 21. To reduce friction the rim is surrounded by a rotatable ring or tire 22, which also may be concave, with a series of bearing balls 22 located between the disk rim'and the tire. The several 10 tires are intended to engage and ,roll along the track stretches i4, i5, and I6.

" As already stated, the several supports or hanger bearings 21- and 22 are of substantially similar construction to the extent that the several axles 22 are in alinement in a plane parallel to the inner face of the door. This is not necessarily true of the topmostbearing, since it might be located somewhat higher than shown, opposite a curved portion of the track. In any case the several axles 22 are out'of any-alinement parallel with the track.

The several pairs of sliders or heads. however, although all of substantially equal diameter, are

mounted on the respective axles in varying nos- 2 tions, mostly'eccentric, so that their centers or axes of rotation are in a common planeparallel to the track when the door is closed. This re-' suit. is effected by providing a diflerent relation between the respective disks 22 and the succes- 20 sive axlesJl. This varying relation is well shown on Fig. 1 wherein the third or middle disk 22 is shown concentric with the axle 22, whereas the disk 22 below ,it is offset relatively outwardly,-

and the disk 22 at the bottom is oflset further outwardly; while the disk 22 above the middle one is offset inwardly with respect to the axle. and the topmost disk 22! is offset still further inwardly. Such varying eccentricity renders the planeofthe sliding .or rolling centers parallel 40 to the track as stated. F

While this arrangement might be secured by. the manufacture of different .disks of three or a more kinds, each with a square axle holefas required, preferably a composite disk is provided.

as shown in Fig. 9, having a first or peripheral square hole 2! adapted both for the extreme lower and upper axles, an intermediate hole 22 adapted for the intermediate axles and a central hole 22 for the middle axle. In process of assembling and I0 erecting the door therefore it is only necessary to provide five pairs of identical disksor heads 22 asshowninFigs.8and9,andplaceeachpairf correctly upon the respective axles. A square apertured block adjustable radially in the disk I? or head could be used with like efiect.

When the axles withtheir heads and tires have been assembled with the door, and the heads set into the tracks, the tracks at the two sides have only to be adjusted, by the nuts 2|, while the" door is closed, to bring the'door snugly to the iamb at each side, the upper track stretch being then similarly; or otherwise mounted on the ceilingb'eams. itsthedoorisliftedtoopenitthe-- tracks draw it away from the jambs, facilitating the movement. A small variety of parts affords the complete structure, minimizing cost of manufacture and erection.

A sectional door construction has thus beendisclosed embodying the principles of the invention, but as many features of construction, arrangement-and design may be variously modified without departing from ,such principles, it is not intended to limit-the invention to such features is except to the extent set forth in the appended claims.

I claim: v

1. A construction for sectional doors openable upwardly and inwardly/from closed position, comprising, in combination, a substantially vertical door lamb against which the door contacts when closed, a'track spaced inwards oi the lamb and inclined upwardly relatively away from the jamb, and thereabove curved and extended inwardly, and a 'door' comprising a plurality of articulated horizontal sections apted to shift under guidance of said track or opening and closing the door; said door having a series of hanger devices each consisting of the following, a pair of bearings fixed to a door section, an axle arranged horizontally in said bearing pair and held against rotation and projecting at both ends beyond the sidesof the door, each such projecting axle-end having a head or disk fixed thereon against rotation and adapted to engage and travel along said track; the said bearings being of such similar dimensions that the axes of the several axles lie substantially in a common plane .parallel to the closed door, and the several pairs of non-rotatable heads being of substantially equal diameter but mounted on the reupwardly relatively away from the jamb and ther'eabove extended inwardly, and a door comprising a plurality of articulated horizontal sections adapted to shift alongguided by said track for opening and closing the door; each door sec-- tion having at least one hanger device consisting of a pair of bearings fixed to the section, an axle slidable horizontally in said bearing pair but held therein against rotation and projecting beyond each side 01 the door, each such projecting axleend having a circular disk thereon fixed'against rotation and a tire on each disk adapted to enuse and travel along said track; the saidbearings carrying the several axles with their axes at varying distances from the plane of the tracks,

and the several pairs or nan-rotatable heads being mounted on the respective axlesin varying eccentric positions such that their centers lie in a common plane parallel to the track when the door is closed. 4 5 3. A construction as in claim 2 and wherein the hanger bearings and axles constitute hinge members cooperating with complementary hinge members for articulating the door sections.

4. A construction for sectional doors openable upwardly and inwardly from closed position, comprising, in combination with opposite substantially vertical door jambs against which the door sides contact when closed, a track spaced inwards of each jamb and inclined upwardly away'15 from the jamb and thereabove curved and extended inwardly, and a door comprising a plurality of articulated horizontal sections adapted to shift while guidefl by said track for opening and closing the door; each door section having at least one rolling hanger device consisting oi the following parts, a pair of bearings fixed to the section, an axle slidable horizontally in said hearing pair but shaped and held therein against rotation, and projecting at both ends beyond the sides of the door, each such projecting axle-end having acircular head or disk fixed against rotation, and a ring or tire rotatable on each disk and adapted to engage and roll along said track; the said bearings being oi. such similarity that 80 the axes of the several axles lie substantially in a common plane parallel to the closed door, and I theseveral pairs of non-rotatable heads and rotatable tires being of substantially equal diameter but mounted on the respective axles in vary- 315 ing position, so that their axes of rotation lie in a common plane parallelrto the track'when the door is closed. 7 r

5. A construction as in claiin2 and wherein each bearing has a square hole, with a square 40 sleeve therein in which the square axle slides, and a complementary hinge part rotatable on said axle or sleeve.

6. A construction as in claim d and wherein each, bearing has a square hole, with a square 46 sleeve therein in which the square axle slides, and

-- a complementary hinge part rotatable on said axle orsleeve. g I LE ROY nowaan a. so- 

